Silverchair

Press

09-01-1999

Aussie Trio Unveil 'Futuristic' Style

(Kerrang!)

Silverchair
will release their third album, Neon Ballroom, through Murmur/Columbia
in mid-March. And according to singer/guitarist Daniel Johns, the
Australian trio have now moved away from the more straight-ahead style
of their previous albums frogstomp and Freak Show.

"We've made an album that combines lots of different sounds and
instruments which you don't usually hear together," says Johns. "we
wanted to carve out our own little piece of turf, blending futuristic
noises with more classic influences. We're fed up with all the usual
comparisons that people keep making about our music."

Neon Ballroom will be preceded by the single Anthem For The Year 2000
in February. Both produced by Nick Launay, who also worked on Freak
Show. All the recording was done at Festival Studios in Sydney, with
the mixing taking place in Los Angeles.

silverchair brought in a number of guest musicians to work on the
album. Shine pianist David Helfgott gives a manic piano performance on
the epic Emotion Sickness, which also features [musicians from] the
Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

The New South Wales Public School Choir are featured on Anthem For The
Year 2000, while Midnight Oil guitarist Jim Moginie plays keyboards on
several of the tracks.

Other songs featured on Neon Ballroom include Ana's Song (Open Fire),
Steam Will Rise, Spawn Again (a reworking of Spawn, the band's
contribution to the Spawn soundtrack album -- this has new lyrics) and
Satin Sheets.

silverchair will bring in a touring keyboard player when they hit the road in support of Neon Ballroom.

"We were also thinking about getting in a second guitarist," says
drummer Ben Gillies, "but it would have been too much of a change for
us to become a five piece."

The band will announce full details of their world tour shortly. This
will include a British tour later in the year. One date already
confirmed is the Peaches 'n' Cream Festival in Cobram, Australia on
January 23. This will be silverchair's first live appearance for 13
months.

silverchair work with Shine pianist

silverchair were more suprised than anyone when classical pianist David Helfgott agreed to guest on the track Emotion Sickness.

"We wanted to put a piano part on the song," says Gillies, "and someone
said, 'What about David Helfgott?' We were like, 'Shit, yeah!'"

"None of us thought it would happen, but he had a listen to the song, and agreed to do it."

Helfgott spent a day with the band in the studio recording his part.
"Being able to watch him work was a privilege," says Gillies.

silverchair got on well with the pianist, although they found him
strange. "He kept mumbling, 'Very different, very different, very
different'," adds Gillies.